Closest Images Yet of Jupiter's Volcanic Moon Io Sent Home by Juno

The images were taken on May 16 as Juno made its closest pass of Io while on its elongated orbit of Jupiter , in late December this year Juno will make an even closer pass expected to be just 932 miles from the volcanic Moon.

“Io is the most volcanic celestial body that we know of in our Solar System,” Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in a statement.

“By observing it over time on multiple passes, we can watch how the volcanoes vary – how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, whether they are linked to a group or solo, and if the shape of the lava flow changes.”

“We are entering into another amazing part of Juno’s mission as we get closer and closer to Io with successive orbits. This 51st orbit will provide our closest look yet at this tortured moon,” said Bolton.

“Our upcoming flybys in July and October will bring us even closer, leading up to our twin flyby encounters with Io in December of this year and February of next year, when we fly within 1,500 kilometers of its surface. All of these flybys are providing spectacular views of the volcanic activity of this amazing moon. The data should be amazing.”
www.iflscience.com...

Io is about the size of our Moon , its volcanism is driven by a tug of war between the gravity of Jupiter and the planet's larger Moons which stretches IO and creates the internal heat driving the volcano's.

Man oh man that's a cool looking moon. Wish I could go there and explore it.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

I would like to see a mission to Europa or Enceladus , both moons create energy from the gravitational pulls from their host planets aswell , but got huge oceans under a think layer of ice that protects possible life cells from radiation.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

Might be a bit hot.

a reply to: TheGreazel

There's one on its way to visit Ganymede, Europa and Callisto mate , it'll take a few years to get there though.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

DP

a reply to: gortex

Ow wow must have missed that one , thanks for the link the mission looks promising.

Where are the other 9?

Io is my favorite moon in the solar system because of its volcanism. Can't wait for more pictures. Great post!

We should nuke it for science

a reply to: gortex

Was it io or europa that the aliens told us to stay away from in 2001 space odyssey?

a reply to: TheGreazel

Just think maybe one day will be able to use machines to harness the energy of those moons send that energy back to us here on earth. People say there’s no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. But I’ve always seen the solar system and the movements of planets and moons as a gigantic perpetual motion machine.

a reply to: gortex

It looks so flat, like Earth.

a reply to: gortex
I saw a space photos title, said to myself … gotta be gortex.
Yup.
Thanks for posting them as often as you do. I love it.

Proper cool that mate, thanks for posting it.

a reply to: musicismagic

more than likely to cold not to hot

Temperature: Io's surface temperature averages about minus 202 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 130 degrees Celsius), resulting in the formation of sulfur dioxide snowfields.

as expected though the volcanos can be hot

But Io's volcanoes can reach 3,000 degrees F (1,649 degrees C). Io is often referred to as a celestial body of fire and ice.

Io: A guide to Jupiter's volcanic moon

great thread Gortex

a reply to: scraedtosleep

I love how very different Jupiter's and Saturn's moons are. There are icy moons, volcanic moons, and the very unique Titan with its atmosphere, seas, and dunes. Really hope to see detailed close-ups in the coming years and decades.

originally posted by: gortex
The images were taken on May 16 as Juno made its closest pass of Io while on its elongated orbit of Jupiter , in late December this year Juno will make an even closer pass expected to be just 932 miles from the volcanic Moon.

“Io is the most volcanic celestial body that we know of in our Solar System,” Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in a statement.

“By observing it over time on multiple passes, we can watch how the volcanoes vary – how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, whether they are linked to a group or solo, and if the shape of the lava flow changes.”

“We are entering into another amazing part of Juno’s mission as we get closer and closer to Io with successive orbits. This 51st orbit will provide our closest look yet at this tortured moon,” said Bolton.

“Our upcoming flybys in July and October will bring us even closer, leading up to our twin flyby encounters with Io in December of this year and February of next year, when we fly within 1,500 kilometers of its surface. All of these flybys are providing spectacular views of the volcanic activity of this amazing moon. The data should be amazing.”
www.iflscience.com...

Io is about the size of our Moon , its volcanism is driven by a tug of war between the gravity of Jupiter and the planet's larger Moons which stretches IO and creates the internal heat driving the volcano's.

In the second picture there appears to be something above the ground just inside the sunset line, to the right. Could that be a orbiting asteroid?

Fake

First Computer composites

Then Computer generated

Then air brushed

Because It has to be